#Philippine plan to build base for #US military criticized

A labor group has expressed misgivings to the plan by the Philippine military to let American troops stay at the Ulungan Bay Naval Base in Palawan and the naval facilities to be built in Oyster Bay, also in Palawan, in accordance with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). "Workers find it unacceptable that our hard-worked for taxes will be used for the saber-rattling activities of both the US and Philippine military," said Gie Relova, leader of the socialist group, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP). Among the contentious features of the EDCA is the provision giving American forces access to and use of designated areas owned and controlled by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) without the US ever paying rent. "It is our belief that the taxes unjustly deducted from us every pay day is meant for the nation's development and will be repaid to us throu...